


When The Rabbit Cries

by Sempiterna



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alpha Ben Solo, Alpha Kylo Ren, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - Dark, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Bad Parenting, Canon Age Difference, Childhood Trauma, Dark fic, Dark fiction, Dubious Consent, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Flashbacks of trauma, Foster Care, Futuristic Elements, Guardian-Ward Relationship, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, M/M, Murder, Non-Traditional Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Omega Rey (Star Wars), Omegaverse, Past Child Abuse, Psychological Trauma, Reylo - Freeform, Sex Trafficking, Smuggling, Trauma, everyone is slightly feral and territorial
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-18
Updated: 2020-04-10
Packaged: 2021-02-28 21:41:37
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,537
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23154229
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sempiterna/pseuds/Sempiterna
Summary: A/B/O soulmate au where Enforcer Ben meets orphan Rey earlier than expected & under the worst of circumstances.He has a choice:- See her off into the system with no contact until she is of age.- Or have her under his care, but with their lives constantly under scrutiny as they both try to navigate the stigma of their bond.
Relationships: Kylo Ren/Rey, Rey/Ben Solo, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 33
Kudos: 200





	1. Chapter 1

* * *

_Eyes brilliant as a moss covered branch, pierced the wall with a heavy lidded gaze. Too young to be so intense, and too worldly for their own good. It didn't take much for Rey to drift deep into a subconscious lull. It was the only way to cope with the everyday machinations of the world she bubbled up against._

_This was her home. Her only home for the past 4 years._

_It was her existence now. Beaten and indoctrinated like a jagged edged knife at her core, since the first day they stole her. Soon her life would be of service. It wouldn't be her own, never will. Age could only hinder the inevitable for so long._

_Purring juxtaposed with the sounds of screaming, wailing, and crying was the last thing that should have been hounding the ears of little Rey. Yet, that was all she knew and probably all she would ever know._

_But at that very moment, she compartmentalized. The surrounding echos dropped away like white noise. All around her was the bubble that she had erected to occupy her central space. The sounds don't penetrate through if she concentrated hard enough to shut them out._

_She sat cross-legged upon the open space of a makeshift bed in quiet contemplation. Behind her, Connix ran her fingers and the brush through Rey's hair. Weaving her dark tangles into three tiny buns._

_Rey let out a small sigh and a tiny trill as she sunk further into her own body, completely enthralled by the display of affection._

_She had missed this._

_“Well?” Connix quipped, breaking Rey out of her gentle reverie._

_“Well whaaaat?” Rey dragged out her words as her body started to go slack._

_Connix tugged her hair in warning._

_“Ow! Okay okay!” She squeaked out._

_“Answer my question mutt. What’s the first rule when an Alpha sights you?”_

_Rey sighed and rolled her eyes before she mumbled, “Never ru-”_

_“_ **_Ever_ ** _!” Connix punctuated the word._

 _“Never_ **_ever_ ** _run from an Alpha that sights you.”_

* * *

Rey found herself back at the warehouse fighting to not panic. Her tiny lungs hogging up the disgusting air. She fought of a gag as the smells of the chaos that transpired earlier, assaulted her.

Steadying her breaths, she carefully peaked out and watched him at a safe enough distance. The ridiculously tall, painfully obvious Alpha slowly started to turn in a circle. Taking his time to observe the surroundings. 

He stopped midway as a scowl of concentration wrinkled his brows. He barely moved, muscles locked in like a statue. Eyes hooded, head cocked to the side as an emotion she couldn't understand passed by his features. 

A pulse of fear washed over her as she willed her body to stop moving, breathing… functioning. She was utterly transfixed by him. 

His nostrils flared every few seconds until his lips parted. 

He was tasting the air, she realized too late.

Suddenly he snapped his eyes towards her direction.

Without a second thought, she ran.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phew this story has been sitting in my docs for almost 3 years.  
> Regarding the tags, they are either going to be talked about in detail or mentioned in the background. I will definitely update them as I go along [could have missed something]. So if anything squicks you out, please hit the back button now.  
> Also i don't know how to write, sorry about that.  
> Edit: summary has been updated.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so so sorry. Most of this chapter was actually written almost 3 years ago and is very wordy. If you're the type that hates wordy/detailed stuff, please skip this story. I'm trying to figure out a writing style for this one. I also haven't written anything in years, so there's a lot that I need to re/learn.

* * *

THUD

A cacophony of swearing accompanied by a loud shrill bounced off the walls in the small studio apartment. 

“Fuck!” Ben growled out in pain. Nursing his temple from the crash into the bedside table. Forgoing the caller i.d., he quickly grabbed the offending gadget. 

“WHAT!?” he snarled at whoever dared disturb his slumber. 

“Yo! You all sexed out??”

Poe. _Fucking_. Dameron.

Pinching the bridge of his nose he exhaled slowly, completely ignoring the question.

“This better be worth the wake up call _Poe._ What is it??” he clenched his jaws together in agitation.

The hangover and frustration that followed from an un-knotted rut, hurt like a bitch and a half. And Ben felt it all the way down to his bones. His knot throbbed and ached like a dulled out ant bite. 

Poe tsked, "Buddy you need to put aside that fussiness and just get it on with someone. Look I know it's tough, what with your _situation_. But there are still ways to ov-”

“No.”

“Ben c'mon. Let me help you ou-"

“You're not my type.”

Poe scoffed, “Well that was a bit mean. Look i know a couple of RO-”

Ben snarled and snapped his jaw in warning. Every single fucking time it was the same conversation. And Poe never seemed to get the hint; ‘Dick. Mine. Business. Not yours.’ He was not about to put up with this bullshit today.

“Fine… fine. You can put those teeth away." He sighed in resignation. "Anyways, I know this is coming in at a horrible time but I got a new case. Possible sector rushers, sex trafficking, and homicide. Need your expertise on this one.”

Ben grunted and turned to catch the time - 4:37 am.

**_Poe._ **

**_Fucking._ **

**_Dameron._ **

“Couldn't you have waited at least another hour before ringing me up?” Ben gritted out. “I just got out of my rut hardly 3 hours ago!”

Poe lowered his voice and breathed deep, “C’mon sweet thang, be a good girl and meet me for this new case."

"Poe. No."

"Daddy's missed you this whole week...” To Ben's chagrin he topped it off with an exaggerated moan. 

In the background a female voice hissed, _‘What the hell Poe!! My mother’s right in front of you!!!!’_. He recognized it as Poe's work partner, Jessika Pava. 

"Sorry sorry," Poe barked out a laugh and strung a few words in Alderaan. 

“Fuck you Dameron.” Ben mumbled under his breath. 

Unfortunately for him Poe's hearing was excellent, "You’d like that wouldn't you baby girl? You'd love it when daddy shoves hi-”

_Call cancelled._

Ben threw the communicator to the other side of the room. He slapped his palms to his face and let out a very loud, animalistic growl that probably woke up a neighbor or two. Heaving a well earned sigh, Ben fumbled his way out of the bed. 

“Shit,” he hissed. 

The whole room started to spin.The top of his head throbbed and pulsed like a bad migraine. It took him a good few minutes to get his bearings straight till he finally trudged his thick heavy legs to the bathroom. He didn't even bother with the main light. All he cared about was just shuffling his sore body under the shower to rinse the pungent smell of ‘Eau De Aint-Got-None.’

With a twist of a wrist, Ben hissed when the freezing spray smacked his body. He stood beneath the water, shivering as he willed his form to wake up from the icy burn. Desperately, he tries to ease the voice in his head that snarls whenever he rode out an empty rut. 

Exhaling a held breath, Ben rested a forearm against the wall. He braced his legs wide allowing his tapered hips to jut out just right for him to reach. Guiding his hand over to his stretched out shoulder, he pressed deep into the tissue to ease the stiffness. 

He worked his fingers into the muscle. Slowly moving closer and closer till his palm gently grazed over the mating gland located just under his ear. Using his index finger he started to circle the pulse point, coaxing a loud groan from his parted lips. 

Ben's eyes fluttered close as a shudder ran through his body. He clenched his jaw and started to grind his teeth. Every stroke on his mating gland pulsed down to the base of his spine. Finally he ran his fingertips across, resting the heel of his palm over it. 

He rubbed slow rhythmic circles into his gland. 

All the blood shot down his groin as his abdomen clenched and shivered in time with his ministrations. Plump lips parted as his pants grew louder and shorter. His cock throbbed and knot pulsed with every roll of his palm.

Sucking in a breath between his clenched teeth, Ben moved his hand away from the gland. He splayed his long thick fingers over his heart, feeling his chest rise with every breath. The cool water trickled down over his heated skin and for a moment, he felt himself breath clearer than he had this week. With a content sigh he started to shift his hand lower, sliding over his slick skin. 

Slowly he grazed his fingertips over the contours of his abdomen. Briefly stopping to trail small soothing circles below his navel, till he glided past the dark thatch of hair to cup himself. 

A purr started deep in his chest and grew till he snapped his head back, throat exposed. Cocking his head to the side Ben ran his tongue over the ends of his teeth, feeling the incisors sharpen and lengthen. A growl erupted from him as he dropped his forehead to rest upon his forearm. His lips and face contorted into a silent snarl.

He squeezed his eyes shut and moaned as he worked his hand over his cock. Palming himself, he started to rock his hips up and down. Giving it a hard thrust forward, he pulled himself back letting his middle finger graze the tip of his cock, spreading his pre-cum in a line over his thickening shaft.

At that moment Ben felt his psyche open like it always does. Through every rut and every sleepless night he felt it. Edged far away in the precipice, it called to him like a fucking beacon. 

Another growl left his lips. It was different this time. 

Deeper, primal … an Alpha rumble reserved for his mate.

He clenched his bottom lip till his incisors threatened to break skin. Quickly he brought his head up and bit down on his forearm as his hand moved to grip hard around his rising knot. Ben couldn't take it anymore. Finally, he allowed his mind to seep away. 

Searching. 

Feeling. 

Wading through the trudge of hopelessness, loss, and loneliness. 

Holding on to the single thread that connected him to a source since he was 13 years old.

It was her. Whomever his mind connected to. 

Hazel green eyes and radiant brown hair.

Short of height, small of build.

A fighter. A scrapper.

The rest of her, obscured. 

At first he thought it was just his imagination playing tricks. His mind conjuring up a fictional being to get through the moments of pain and loneliness. Once 18 hit, he tried desperately to push through the barrier to connect to her. She didn't. She never did.

Whatever wall was built up he couldn't break it. Barely catching a glimpse of her full face. Just bits of her existence that left craters of her absence. Sometimes in the quiet moments, he would almost hear and feel her reach out. A small piece of her presence creeping in. The nostalgic feeling of an irrecoverable memory.

It devastated him. She was always just out of reach. It left him impotent and helpless. 

Ben snapped his mind back into his body and let go of his forearm. Now was not the time. He dropped his hands to his sides. Unclenching and clenching them into fists. 

_Deep breaths._

He willed himself to forget about her, forget about his singular rut. 

And for a brief moment just forget his designation.

Feeling his emotions settle and mind steeled away, he went about the mundane actions of cleaning himself up. Making sure to use the scent neutralizing products twice over. Once done he stepped over to the bathroom mirror. Baggy eyes and tired shoulders greeted him. The two razed pink marks on each side of his neck, pulsed with every movement. He was still fresh out of a rut and his glands wouldn't camouflage until 72 hours had passed. 

Ben shook his head and glared at his own sunken eyes covered in dark circles. He squeezed them shut and gripped the edges of the bathroom sink, leaning in to rest his forehead upon the mirror.

“Fucking. Piece. Of. Shit.” he emphasized the words with every knock on the mirror cabinet. Heaving out a disgusted sigh he straightened his posture, scratching his shaggy beard. A clean shave was definitely needed. Opening the mirror cabinet he grabbed his kit, shut the door and went about making himself appear presentable. 

Suddenly several loud pings from the room caught his ears. With a roll of his eyes and a swipe of his razer he finished. 

Putting the kit back he eyed the prescription bottles in the cabinet. A scowl crept over his brows as he contemplated whether to keep them by his bedside. Too many sleepless nights called for the ‘hammer time’ pills as Poe would put it. And it made Ben all the more furious. Not because he had to take them, lest he collapse from exhaustion. But because they just did not fucking work. 

It didn't help him sleep.

It didn't help him relax.

And it didn't help him forget _her_. Whoever the fuck she is.

Reaching over past the bottles, Ben grabbed on to a box of patches. They were used to cover the glands to ease the sensitivity after a heat or rut. Bonus points for dampening the scent a bit which helped in his line of work. 

He ripped the packaging and slapped the two transparent patches over his glands. 

_Oh god yes_ he sighed to himself as a quick shudder ran through his body. 

It felt like applying aloe vera gel after an extremely warm shower, _perfection_.

Huffing out a breath, Ben ruffled his hair into a somewhat presentable state and quickly made his way over to his closet. He mindlessly grabbed whatever he could. Rushing to his nightstand he snatched his blade and strapped it over his hip. Shoved his spare gun into his ankle straps.

Another ping went off in the distance as he made his way over to his comm and checked his notifications.

  
  


**Poe** : _HEY! Rude much?? Daddy wasn't done with you! ;-P_

  
  


A twitch under his left eye started up.“Fucking-,” Ben muttered harsh obscenities under his breath. Poe at least had the decency to send him the location. Not that it was without a barrage of daddy kink memes and gifs. 

Finally he pulled up a work email from the medical department.

_Hello Enf. Ben Solo,_

_Your appointment with Doctor Amilyn Holdo is scheduled for tomorrow at 12:30 pm._

_Please ensure that it has been 72 hrs after the last day of your rut cycle._

_If your appointment happens to fall within the 72 hr window, please contact or message the clinic to reschedule._

_This is to ensure that your body has had enough time to flush out the suppressants before your next shot._

_Thank you._

Ben rubbed the heel of his palm over his twitchy eye and just let his body sag with the weight of everything. 

_Why wasn't I born a Beta,_ he contemplated.

They didn't have to deal with this every few months. They weren't even reliant on any form of suppressants other than birth control.

And maybe he would never have to deal with the ghost of her. 

Grabbing his gun holster he did a quick check in the mirror while he strapped in. He pressed his palm on the glands just to make sure the patches did their work. Then quickly stripped them away, the shade of pink and swelling appeased a bit. Satisfied with the results he gave himself one final glance over.

“Your so fucking worthless,” he sneered at the reflection staring back at him. 

And with that finality he walked out the door.

* * *

Ben crouched down to take a sweeping look across the dead body that laid battered and broken. His warm brown eyes skimmed over every bite mark, every bruise that marred her waif figure. They were spread out into an array of red and purple spots that coated her pale flesh. She was young, far too young to have been caught up in this life. 

He tipped his nose up and started to inhale the damp pungent air. His nostrils flared and shoulders lifted slightly as he gathered and processed the information. Eyes fluttered close to block out any distractions.

Cum. Dozens upon dozens of Alpha’s had passed through. Their shitty pheromones ripped through the bridge of his nose like bleach fumes. 

Pussy slick. Lots of it. Female Alphas, Omegas, and Betas. Various stages of heats, ruts, and ages. 

Blood. Old. New. Tangy, sweet and frothy.

He looked back back down to the body and marked his observation. He counted four possible breaks- kneecaps, 1 ankle and an arm. Not to mention the devastating internal injuries. The worst being the blood that coated her backside and thighs that seeped across the floor.

Sexual assault. Broken bones. Possible contusions.

“Morning babygurl,” a cocky male voice greeted him.

Ben narrowed his eyes and turned his head to acknowledge a short but striking figure, Enforcer Poe Dameron. Of course he was sporting the biggest shit eating grin. If he smiled any wider it would crack the earth's crater from his sheer arrogance. 

Ben brought up his middle finger and swirled it in the air in salutation. His eyes flashed a brilliant red gold hue, reminiscent of a canine's reflective eyes at night. It alerted the other male to his Alpha status. Poe responded in kind. 

Alpha greeted Alpha. 

As much as society had evolved to keep interactions among their kind civil, unfortunately, sometimes a reminder of what they truly were would break through the mold. 

For the briefest moment Ben and Poe stilled their movements as an age old instinct kicked in. Their muscles locked and froze into place while they quickly assessed one another. Nostrils flared and mouths tilted open to drag in the offending scents. 

**_Alpha_**

It didn't matter that Ben worked together with Poe for almost 4 years. Sometimes instincts were just that, and it liked to stroll in like a Voorpak to greet the world with a hearty fucking hello.

As quick as their momentary posturing kicked in, it had disappeared like 15 minutes of fame.

Both males grunted and growled in approval at each other's presence. Back to business it was.

“This was a rage fueled sexual assault. Topped of with murder.”

Nodding, Ben leaned in closer to check for anything he may have missed. “Yea, I almost don't want to know what the other side of her body looks like.”

“My guess, broken jaw. Severe. Look at the bruising on the neck,” Poe dropped to his haunches and pointed with his pen, notepad already open and scrawled with notes.

Ben hummed, “An alpha did this. I scented several on her, but those were a couple of hours old. Only one was with her at the time of death.” 

Poe nodded in agreement, “Snap will be here soon to assess the bodies before they're moved.” He hunched closer to see if there were any marks he may have missed. 

"Oh damn." Poe blew out a whistle.

"What did you spot?" 

"A bit of the other side of her." He winced. "They're gonna need dental records and her Inklot for a formal identification. If she even has one."

Ben finally stood up, walked over to the side and started to observe the surroundings. “What about the others?”

“A couple of betas, one RO. Rest of the muscle got away. Abandoned these girls without a bullet between the eyes.” Poe lets out a hiss between clenched teeth, “fucking lucky these ones.”

Poe knew no one, _no one_ ever made it out alive from a situation like this. Especially as an RO. This was the 20th one this month that has shown up dead in a sex trafficking situation. The numbers were steadily increasing. 

Ben nodded and turned his gaze towards the group of girls and women huddled in a corner. Shoulders trembled and heaved from either shock or gratitude in finally being rescued. Except for a tiny blonde one that purposely situated herself in front of the group. Classic Omega behavior, protect the pack. Her head was down but Ben had a feeling she was a lot more aware than she let on.

"Did you sight her?" He asked quietly.

"Who?"

"Don't play fucking dumb with me." Shaking his head, exasperated at Poes feigned innocence.

He shrugged, "Maybe."

"And?"

Poe just shrugs again. _Jesus,_ it was like pulling information from a teenager.

Ben ignored the jackass and continued to observe the group before studying the ramshackled warehouse. There were lots of makeshift rooms, if he could even call them that. They reminded him of shanties with no roofs and curtains that were used as ‘doors’. The walls were made of leftover items from the storage.

Turning to take a few steps towards the rooms he halted suddenly. There was something in the air. A scent wafting around him in small bursts. It was like a cobweb that kept teasing the tip of his nose. He narrowed his eyes and glanced at the group of females. 

Without breaking contact he shuffled back to Poe and dropped his voice, “You missed one more RO. Can't you smell them?” 

Poe quickly shifted into bloodhound mode and sniffed the air, “nooo… are you sure? I'm getting nothing.” 

He opened his mouth wide and dragged in a lungful of air. Nothing. “Sorry I'm really not getting anything, scent or taste.”

Ben cocked his head to the side, eyes fluttered shut as he took in short sharp breaths. He could almost catch the ghosting scent. It was subtle, creamy … delicate. 

_Elder flowers_. 

Never had he scented something or someone who reminded him of elder flowers. His alpha purred in approval.

Ben's eyes snapped open and a low rumble erupted from deep within his lungs. His chin tilted towards his chest as his alpha eyes flared up. Ben took a few steps forward and circled, scanning the open area. Paying particular attention to the air draft, he slowly turned his nose upwards. As stealthy as possible he parted his lips to taste the air. 

_There it is._ He huffed and let out a low growl.

It was primal. Instinctual. 

It alerted the other alphas in the vicinity that he caught onto one delicate probability. 

Prey.

* * *

_Stay calm. Stay calm . Stay calm._

Rey mentally drummed the mantra out over and over, desperately trying to quell her nerves. Her small breaths intermingled with the whines her throat couldn't help but evoke. She quickly covered her mouth with both her tiny hands, trying so hard to dampen any noise.

She was cramped up in a corner, hidden behind a bunch of old crates and boxes.

_Okay, you're there. Stay calm. Deep breaths. Don't panic. Don't panic or they'll smell you._

Letting go of her mouth she breathed out a low exhale. Her heart stammered as it fought to find a steady rhythm again.

Rey took a deep breath of air as quietly as she could, and gagged. She should have been used to it by now. The scents of too many designations cramped into a small space. But she couldn't stomach it. The scents were excruciating. Every negative emotion and violence that occurred, assaulted her senses. 

Normally things got chaotic in the warehouse. But she never thought it would end up like this. Not to Paige. Never Paige. She was the favourite. Rey willed away the tears and swallowed her omega need to wail at her loss.

With a quick shake of her head and a nod to herself, Rey crawled closer to the crates. She crouched as low as possible and peeked through the cracks. 

"Oh no. Nonono… _"_ she whispered. Her original way out was blocked. She wasn't sure what to do. 

She couldn't budge from her spot. There were too many Enforcers and Troopers covering the surrounding area. 

She could either hide amongst the crates and hope they would dismiss it until they left for the night. Or somehow make it to her right where one of the windows had a broken corner. 

It was big enough for her to crawl through.

Rey caught a glimpse of the other girls. She spotted Connix sitting cross legged right up front as a shield to those behind her. Her body posture beguiled submission, with her eyes supposedly staring at the ground. 

But Rey knew better. 

Connixs' instincts were sharp. She knew how and when to keep her head down long enough to assess any situation. 

She caught Connix shifting her gaze to the ground and then every one of the Enforcers. She paid particular attention to the tallest Alpha. He seemed to pose the biggest threat. On occasion she would sneak a quick glance to the shorter second one. 

Rey ducked away from the crates and quickly opened up her backpack. It was filled up with her important belongings. Clothing and a few items scavenged across the years. She stuck her head in and dug out the gadget. It was a dingy old thing, abused and hurled away by one of the clients. She managed to patch it up enough to make a few calls, videos, pics, no texting though. 

She turned and quickly shuffled further back to remove a loose brick on the wall. Stuffing the old communicator inside, hoping they wouldn't find it. Maybe once she escapes and lays low she could sneak back in and get it. 

She starts crawling back when she yelps in shock. Biting her fist to muffle the sound, she slowly leans out to check if anyone heard her. No one seemed to be fazed. Rey quickly plucks out the piece of window glass that nicked her and moves to her old position.

She cautiously observed the Tall Alpha, keeping her own existence as small as possible. He wasn't like the others she'd seen patrolling around the area. Or even the warehouse guards and clientele that passed through. 

The Alpha's presence wasn't loud or thundering. It was quiet, intense, and striking. He was bulky enough to pose a threat, and stood a good couple of heads above the rest. Hair as black as obsidian framed a surprisingly angular but soft face. She wondered if it was as silky as it looked. 

Squinting her eyes to catch a few more details, she noticed a distinct pink mark just below his ear. Sucking in a sharp breath, her heart picked up speed and her face paled. The Alpha was fresh out of a rut which meant a couple of things. 

One, his overall senses will be on high alert.

Two, territorial. territorial. territorial.

Three, she needed to be as stealthy as possible and then run like hell.

Rey notices him stop midway as a scowl of concentration wrinkles his brows. He barely moved, muscles locked in like a statue. Eyes hooded, head cocked to the side as an emotion she couldn't understand passed by his features.

A pulse of fear washed over her as she willed her body to stop moving, breathing… functioning. She was utterly transfixed by him. 

His nostrils flared every few seconds until his lips parted. 

Rey glanced down at her hand and watched as it bled out a little. _Crap_.

He was tasting the air, she realized too late.

Suddenly he snapped his eyes towards her direction. 

All hell broke loose.

She didn't know how it happened, other than her body made the choice to bolt from her spot. All senses were focused onto the small broken window. A deep echoing rumble in the background switched her prey drive on and she bolted like a little rabbit her designation was likened to.

* * *

"Ben!?"

"Rey!!!"

Two voices eclipsed over the static noise that buzzed in Ben's ears. Movements slowed, sounds fizzled out, and the vicinity brightened just a little bit. From the corner of his eye he saw a small bundle of prey skitter out and make a dash towards the window. 

Vision tunneling on its movements, his teeth morphed. They elongated fast and with purpose. 

To kill and tear.

He lifted his nose to scent the critter.

 _Blood and Elder flowers._

In a matter of seconds he was onto it. The little thing moved swiftly and jumped through the glass crack before he could get to it. He slammed his fist on the window pane and snarled.

Quickly backing away from it, Ben set off into a high speed run and crashed through the glass. Rolling quickly onto his feet, he took off after the tiny figure.

Rey pumped her tiny arms and legs as fast as she could, panicking when she heard the loud thumps and growls of the Alpha chasing her. She threw herself onto the ground and shimmied under a wall of crates that blocked the path to the docks. 

Just in case she stole a quick glance. A tiny scream rips from her. The Alpha was just a few feet away. He was too bloody fast and almost blurred from the burst of speed. 

Rey hauled ass and gunned for the nearest dock, hoping she made it in time. 

Another roar and a vicious snarl erupts through the air. A loud crash and the crates exploded from impact. 

Fear like lightning, thundered down her spine. The hairs on her arms and neck stood to attention. Her lungs burned from the exertion, and panting breaths misted the air. For a moment black spots started to pop into her vision. She was close to the ropes tied to the dock. Just a few more feet.

Ben glanced around and stalked over to where it was. He had it cornered a couple of feet away. No use running.

He noticed the small critter falter and pace slow down. It finally stumbled and excitement hit him. He was close, a few more paces and he could sink his teeth in. He watched as it collapsed and gasped for air. It threw what looked like a backpack to the side and tried to get to the ropes that tied the boat.

_Good._

He made a dash for it. Jaws opened wide and ready to sink sharp teeth in when it turned to face him. 

The flash of a young girl's eyes momentarily stunned him.

The collision hurt his knees and arms when they smacked onto the wood. Skin scraped and burned from the slide. His palms cradled the back of her head to protect her from the impact. Her face carefully tucked underneath his chin.

They remained huddled together, unmoving and completely stunned by what happened. Once the shock wore off, a high pitched wail pierced his ears. The cry alerted everyone there was an omega youngling in distress. 

The predator switched off and Ben quickly got up to all fours to stare at the little bundle beneath him. 

“Shhhh,” he tries to calm her down. A purr didn't seem ideal. The last thing he wanted was to further traumatize her. For all he knew she may react badly to it, considering the situation she was in. 

“It's okay. It's going to be okay,” he mumbled. 

Carefully he inspected her face and body for any cuts or bruises. And was satisfied to find nothing serious presented itself.

A shivering mess of brown hair & teary hazel eyes stared up at him. Her hands balled into fists and placed under her chin in a feeble attempt to protect her glands.

It takes him a moment to realize it. But when he does, the air around him disappears.

Hazel eyes. Brown hair.

Ben blinks and shakes his head trying to recall something. 

A fleeting feeling. Something, or someone he almost recognizes. 

_Her._

Shock made his arms numbs and heart race in panic. She's too young, far too young. Her face still rounded, or at least was supposed to be. And that's when he notices it. The gauntness of her features. Her cheeks are supposed to be full and plump but they were slightly sunken. Her skin tanned, but greyed in certain corners.

_What the hell?_

Ben gently pulls the collar of her shirt aside to confirm his suspicions. 

Bones. 

Carefully and slowly, he reached down to bring her arm closer to his gaze. More bones. Her tiny fingers a step away from being skeletal.

She's malnourished and severely underweight.

"Fuck" he whispered, letting her arm go. Gently he smooths his fingertips over her forehead, tickling her baby hairs. 

"What did they do to you?"

He watches as she scrunches her face up at the contact. The tears slowly ran down the sides of her temple. Her scent wasn't matured enough to catch the usual nuances. But a tangy sweetness hit his nose. It reminded him of the floral jams his mother loves. 

Fear is his guess. That must be her fear.

Ben starts to feel it then. The subtle shift in eyes, almost like his pupils dilating.

His breath hitches at the unexpected moment. From the expression on the girl's face, his eyes must be golden red. Involuntarily breaking out to show his Alpha designation. 

Ben is sighting her.

The girl stops and blinks, brows crunched in confusion. But then she responds. Her irises slowly bleed into blue gold hue that not only seals her Rare Omega designation, but that she responds to his Alpha and his Alpha alone.

Ben's face immediately fell into sheer horror at the sentence she utters next.

“Please don't knot me.” Her lower lip quivered as she whispered in desperation.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edit: quickly corrected some spellings & redid the format. I keep forgetting that Ao3 uses double spacing >.<


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